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May 2023
59m 54s

Unraveling the Etymology of Arabic Words...

afikra | عفكرة
About this episode

Fadi Bou Karam talks about the history of Levantine etymologies and their possible origins. He discusses the influence of the Ottomans on the way certain words are pronounced, notably in Lebanese Arabic. The words include fruits and vegetables, such as artichoke, orange, loquat & more.

Fadi Bou Karam is a photographer based in Beirut, Lebanon. He was born and raised in Beirut, and growing up in a war-torn country, photos held a special significance for him as they were often the only remnant of people who no longer existed.

It wasn't until he reached his thirties that Bou Karam realized how much he needed photography, both as a therapeutic tool and a way to discover oddities within the mundane. In 2013, he and a group of photographers from around the world started the Observe Collective, which was founded on a shared fascination with watching and documenting the diverse humanity that surrounds us.

 

Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra

Edited by: Ramzi Ramman

Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/

About the afikra Conversations:

Our long-form interview series features academics, arts, ‎and media experts who are helping document and/or shape the history and culture of the Arab world through their ‎work. Our hope is that by having the guest share their expertise and story, the community still walks away with newfound curiosity - and maybe some good recommendations about new nerdy rabbit holes to dive into headfirst. ‎Following the interview, there is a moderated town-hall-style Q&A with questions coming from the live virtual audience ‎on Zoom.‎ Join the live audience: https://www.afikra.com/rsvp   

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About afikra:‎

afikra is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region- past, present, and future - through conversations driven by curiosity. 
Read more about us on  afikra.com

 

Hosted by: Sabine Boghossian 👉 https://www.instagram.com/sabineboghossian/
& Omar Thawabeh 👉 https://www.instagram.com/omarthawabeh/

Sabine Boghossian is a multidisciplinary creative who dives headfirst into anything that captures her curiosity. Born and bred in a multicultural household in Aleppo, Syria, she has spent the last decade balancing her life between Beirut and Brussels. Her passion for food and sensitivity to language fuel her diverse practice, which spans scenography, design, and copywriting on subjects as varied as food, architecture, and identity. She recently launched "yurs" a line of repairable leather goods in the form of DIY kits.

Omar Thawabeh is a Beirut-based translator, writer and the co-host of afikra's Outline podcast. His translations and essays were published in Bidayat, The Public Source, Oasis, among other platforms and magazines. In 2023, his Arabic translation of Lamia Ziadé’s graphic novel "Bye Bye Babylone" was published by Mauzoun.
 

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THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
Explore all episodes in this series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl4kiYfcmVlscYdob4Hk62-P&si=W35hkYg6-taJOwF9

ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
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